North Carolina
North Carolina basketball recruiting: Transfer portal news, 2024 roster, recruits, targets by NC experts
The North Carolina basketball lineup will look vastly different next season from last year’s squad that reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. However, the Tar Heels will welcome back RJ Davis, an All-American who averaged 21.2 points per game. Head coach Hubert Davis has been aggressive in the college basketball transfer portal and brought in some of the top North Carolina basketball recruits from the Class of 2024, so how confident should Tar Heels fans feel when the 2024-25 college basketball season begins? If you love the Tar Heels, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Inside Carolina, the 247Sports affiliate that covers the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Inside Carolina is universally viewed as the authority on Tar Heel sports and recruiting. With relentless, unparalleled year-round coverage, and the largest online community of always-engaged UNC fans, the slogan is true: “There is no offseason at Inside Carolina.”
Inside Carolina has been “The Independent Voice of UNC Sports” since 1994, and is a network partner with 247Sports and CBS Sports. The Inside Carolina staff is composed of experienced, professional reporters and analysts whose job is to provide readers with objective coverage. The publication is independently owned and operated, and is not affiliated with the University. It is fully credentialed by UNC, the ACC and the NCAA.
The team at Inside Carolina has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the North Carolina basketball roster. Head to Inside Carolina now to see all the insider info.
North Carolina basketball roster departures
North Carolina is replacing one of the most accomplished players in ACC history, as big man Armando Bacot used the rest of his eligibility. He averaged a double-double in three straight seasons, setting the program record for double-doubles and career rebounds. Bacot is one of three players in school history to finish with at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Veteran guard Cormac Ryan is also out of eligibility after averaging 11.5 points in his final collegiate season that followed stints with Stanford and Notre Dame. North Carolina’s other key loss is Harrison Ingram, who declared for the NBA draft after averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. While he could technically still withdraw from the draft by the end of the month, all signs are pointing toward him staying in the draft and beginning his professional career. Join Inside Carolina to see the latest on all of North Carolina’s roster changes.
North Carolina basketball news, roster
North Carolina has made splashes in the Class of 2024 and transfer portal, but the Tar Heels could use at least one more established big man to replace 6-foot-11 Armando Bacot, who is out of eligibility. Bacot averaged a double-double in each of his last three seasons and that size and production is tough to duplicate. One name potentially linked to North Carolina is Coleman Hawkins, a 6-foot-10 forward who averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds at Illinois last season.
Hawkins has put his name in for the 2024 NBA Draft, but there’s also a feeling he may return to college since he’s also in the transfer portal. He is one of 78 players invited to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, but that doesn’t rule out a return to college. Hawkins is a four-year college player with one year of eligibility left. At 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, he’s the type of physical presence the Tar Heels could use to round up their lineups. He’s one of the most intriguing names still left in the transfer portal for North Carolina fans to keep an eye on. Join Inside Carolina to get the latest on all of North Carolina’s roster additions.
How to get insider North Carolina basketball roster updates
Davis has been in contact with multiple transfers from power-conference teams, so be sure to join Inside Carolina to see who they are and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names North Carolina basketball is pursuing this offseason in the transfer portal, and which power-conference transfers could land in Chapel Hill? Go to Inside Carolina to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Tar Heels, and find out. And reminder, Inside Carolina is offering 30% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
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North Carolina
‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war
An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.
Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.
Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.
Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.
“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.
Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.
North Carolina
Gov. Stein proposes $1.4B ‘critical needs’ budget for North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — With North Carolina still without a new state budget, Gov. Josh Stein is urging state lawmakers to approve a $1.4 billion “Critical Needs Budget.” Stein says this budget will address the state’s most urgent priorities while the General Assembly works on a full spending plan.
“North Carolina has gone nearly two and a half years without passing a new state budget – the only state in the country to finish 2025 without one[…]This budget invests in critical public safety, education and health care services for the people of North Carolina that cannot wait,” Gov. Stein said in a press release Monday.
A major part of Stein’s proposal is $319 million to fully fund Medicaid, which provides health coverage to over three million North Carolinians. This program also supports rural hospitals, nursing homes and statewide health care providers, per the release.
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The “Critical Needs Budget” would target public safety staffing and pay. According to the governor’s office, North Carolina currently ranks 49th in starting salaries for state troopers and correctional officers, and low pay has contributed to staffing shortages and vacancy rates. This budget would bring pay raises to correctional officers, law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers and more.
Stein’s proposed budget calls for raising starting and average teacher pay, as well as increasing pay for senior teachers and other education staff. The governor’s office said the state remains in the bottom 10 nationally in average teacher pay.
The budget proposal also includes pay increases for state employees and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired state employees, citing rising inflation costs and increasing health care premiums. Stein’s plan also includes targeted funding to maintain essential services, such as support for child care access and affordability.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Arboretum’s “Spring Into the Arb” returns for year two
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Arboretum has announced a new season of “Spring Into the Arb!”
The “Spring Into the Arb!” is in its second year, with its series of plant shows and sales, science and nature activities, music, and art, allowing people to reemerge and reconnect with nature.
The season begins with Nature Play Day on Saturday, March 14, continuing through April, May, and June with new activities every weekend.
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According to a news release, throughout the season, guests can enjoy the following:
- Asheville Orchid Festival, annual Ikebana and Rose shows
- Purchase plants at the Spring Plant Sale and Market
- Get back to their native roots with Native Azalea Day, Mountain Science Expo, and Nature Play Day
The series culminates with Bonsai in the Blue Ridge in June, according to the release.
The release says guests and members are invited to drop in on the newly-opened Arbor Eatery in the Arboretum’s Education Center, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Hours extend to 5 p.m. beginning April 1.
Spring Into the Arb events and programs are included with the regular Arboretum parking fee of $25 per vehicle. Arboretum Society Members get in free.
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According to the release, additional admission is required for the Asheville Orchid Festival and Bonsai in the Blue Ridge.
A full list of the Spring Into the Arb 2026 events includes:
- Nature Play Day: March 14
- Asheville Orchid Festival: March 28 to 29
- Music in the Mountains Day: April 4
- Arbor Day Celebration: April 11
- Native Azalea Day: April 18
- Mountain Science Expo: April 25
- World Bonsai Day: May 9
- Change of Seasons: Spring into Ikebana: May 16 to 17
- The Asheville-Blue Ridge Rose Society Exhibition: May 22 to 24
- The Arb in Focus: 40 Views for 40 Years: Opening May 23
- Spring Plant Sale and Market: May 29 to 30
- Bonsai in the Blue Ridge: June 4 to 7
For more information, visit here.
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